R-A-R-E SEE PERSON FAIL IF TRUE-BIZ FOLLOW OUR WAY. THOSE-lf PEOPLE NOT RECOVER, CAN'T OR DON'T-WANT FOLLOW SIMPLE PROGRAM. MOST TIME MAN AND WOMAN INSIDE-SELF NOT ABLE HONEST THEMSELVES-lf. HAVE PEOPLE LIKE THAT PITY-ON-lf, DON'T BLAME-lf. THEY-lf SEEM BORN LIKE THAT. THEY-lf TEND NOT ABLE UNDERSTAND DEVELOP WAY LIVE REQUIRE STRICT HONEST. THEIR-lf CHANCE SO-SO.
ALSO HAVE PEOPLE THEY-rt SUFFER EMOTIONAL AND MENTAL PROBLEM, BUT MANY THEM-rt RECOVER IF THEY-rt ABLE HONEST.
OUR STORY SHOW GENERAL WAY FIRST-ON-LIST WHAT USED-TO-BE, SECOND-ON-LIST WHAT HAPPEN, THREE-ON-LIST WHAT LIKE NOW. IF YOU(plural) DECIDE WANT SAME-AS-us AND WILLING DO ANY THING GET I-T, THEN YOU READY FOLLOW STEPS.
SOME WE LOOK-AT-list'second take'. WE THINK WE CAN FIND EASIER, SOFTER WAY, BUT CAN'T. WE SERIOUS BEG YOU FOLLOW DEEP. DON'T SCARED. SOME US TRY HOLD-ON OLD alt.IDEA. NOT SUCCEED UNTIL WE LET-GO ABSOLUTELY.
REMEMBER WE STRUGGLE ALCOHOL. ITSELF CLEVER, POWERFUL, WE BAFFLED. WITHOUT HELP, TOO-MUCH FOR US. BUT ONE-rt HAVE ALL POWER; HIMSELF-rt GOD. PRAY YOU FIND HIM-rt NOW.
HALFWAY NOT HELP US NOTHING. WE ARRIVE CROSSROADS, WE ASK HIS-rt PROTECTION AND CARE WITHOUT FEAR.
NOW RATTLE-OFF STEPS WE FOLLOW. WE SUGGEST FOR PROGRAM RECOVER:
FIRST-ON-LIST, WE ADMIT RESIST (2h)alt.DRINK-ALCOHOL, POWERLESS. OUR LIVES SCREWED-UP.
SECOND-ON-LIST, STEP-BY-STEP WE BELIEVE POWER SUPREME HELP-us THINK CLEAR.
THIRD-ON-LIST, DECIDE OFFER-UP OUR WILL AND LIFE GOD TAKE-CARE-OF, WHATEVER WAY WE VISUALIZE HIM-rt.
FOURTH-ON-LIST, OUR CHARACTER GO-AHEAD ANALYZE++-self DEEP, NOT AFRAID.
FIFTH-ON-LIST, ADMIT TO GOD, OURSELVES AND ANOTHER PERSON, EXACT alt.DO-WRONG.
SIXTH-ON-LIST, ONE-HUNDRED PERCENT READY GOD REMOVE OUR CHARACTER PROBLEM.
SEVENTH-ON-LIST, WE HUMBLE REQUEST-FROM-God (role play) OFF-GOAL-lf&rt, PLEASE REMOVE.
EIGHTH-ON-LIST, MAKE-LIST EVERYONE WE HURT AND BECOME WILLING CANCEL WRONG WE DO.
NINTH-ON-LIST, WE CANCEL WRONG AS-MUCH AS POSSIBLE, EXCEPT MAKE WORSE, BETTER LEAVE-ALONE.
TEN, CONTINUE ANALYZE++-self. #IF WRONG, ADMIT FAST.
ELEVEN, WE (<) PRAY, (>) MEDITATE, FOR-FOR? REALLY-WANT IMPROVE RELATIONSHIP GOD, WHATEVER WE VISUALIZE. PRAY KNOW HIS-rt WILL AND POWER D-O-I-T.
TWELVE, FINISH WAKE-UP UNDERSTAND SPIRITUAL THROUGH FOLLOW STEPS, WE TRY INFORM"each" ALCOHOLICS AND APPLY PRINCIPLES EVERYTHING WE DO.
MANY US SAY, IMPOSSIBLE, TOO-MUCH FOR ME. DON'T GIVE-UP. NONE US ABLE PERFECT FOLLOW #ALL-ON-LIST PRINCIPLES. WE NOT HALO-ON-HEAD'saints'. POINT, WE WILLING MATURE SPIRIT. PRINCIPLES WE RATTLE-OFF LEAD-TO PROGRESS. WE HAVE SPIRITUAL PROGRESS. PERFECT, DON'T-MEAN-TO-SAY.
BIG BOOK DESCRIBE ALCOHOLIC, HAVE CHAPTER FOR PERSON UNSURE HAVE GOD, AND PERSONAL STORY BEFORE, AFTER, MAKE CLEAR THREE IDEAS APPLY NOW:
FIRST-ON-LIST, WE ALCOHOLIC CONTROL OUR LIFE CAN'T.
SECOND-ON-LIST, PROBABLY NO PERSON CAN REMOVE OUR ALCOHOLISM.
THIRD-ON-LIST, GOD CAN AND WILLING IF WE SEARCH FOR HIM.
Notes: TRUE-BIZ - TRUE + (2h)[S], POs down, FOs away, DH brushes from side to side across NDH wrist.
RECOVER - GET-WELL.
INSIDE-SELF - The FT of [C] are held against the chest and stuff the FT of [O^] into the [C] twice.
SO-SO - [5], PO down, FO away, pivots at wrist. For a QuickTime movie of this sign, see ASL browser - fair.
FIRST-ON-LIST and so on - NDH [5], PO > signer, FO > DS, and DH taps thumb for "FIRST-ON-LIST, DH [1] taps index finger for SECOND-ON-LIST, and taps middle finger for THIRD-ON-LIST and so on. For SIX- to NINE- the hand shape twists the thumb contact of the DH against the thumb of the NDH. TEN- and on are the same as the cardinal (regular) number.
STEPS - (2h)[B^], POs ><, FOs away, DH is held ahead of NDH, then NDH leapfrogs over DH, and DH over NDH. For a QuickTime movie of this sign, see ASL browser - procedure.
LOOK-AT-list'second take' - DH [V] looks at list on NDH [B].
LET-GO - DISCONNECT.
ABSOLUTELY - (2h)[5], POs down, FOs away, descend rapidly and close to (2h)[F].
POWERFUL - [C] or [5:] brings FTs rapidly to the ND biceps and bounces slightly.
BAFFLED - [4], PO away, FO up, strikes forehead and FT curl.
ONE - Underlined words are honorific indices ("indexes"), using the FT of the upturned palm to indicate who is being honored.
HALFWAY - (2h)[1], NDH PO > DS, FO away, DH PO > signer, FO > NDS, slices across NDH knuckle ("half") + WAY.
CROSSROADS - INTERSECTION, that is, (2h)[1], NDH PO > DS, FO away, DH PO > signer, FO > NDS, are crossed.
FEAR - (2h)[5], POs away, FOs up, hands are held far from body and move back to body in a wavy pattern.
RATTLE-OFF - [S], PO away, FO up, opens repeatedly to [5:], as if giving a number of details.
POWERLESS - Thumb of [C] is placed on bicep and closes as in FLAT-TIRE.
SCREWED-UP - (2h)[5:], FOs away, DH is held high, PO down at its side and NDH is held low, PO up at its side. Both hands interchange PO and levels while moving slightly > DS.
STEP-BY-STEP - (2h)[B^], POs ><, FOs away, DH is held ahead of NDH, then NDH leapfrogs over DH, and DH over NDH, with a slight pause after each step. For a QuickTime movie of this sign, see ASL browser - procedure. Note that the pauses are not shown in the movie.
SUPREME - (2h)[A], FOs away, DH starts below NDH and arcs around it until it is on top.
WILL - the sign WANT but shaken back and forth to show intensity.
TAKE-CARE-OF-us - (2h)[K] are crossed at wrists and FT > signer move in a vertical circle normal (perpendicular) to the chest.
GO-AHEAD - (2h)[B^ dot], POs ><, FOs away, move forward in a jerk.
(role play) - Look up to God while signing this portion.
OFF-PATH-lf&rt - DH [S], PO > NDS, flicks finger > NDS from off [1], PO > NDS, FO up. Then DH flicks > DS.
REALLY-WANT - the sign WANT but shaken back and forth to show intensity. (The same sign as WILL.)
ALCOHOLICS - ALCOHOL SICK AGENT is the preferred sign in AA.
TOO-MUCH - (2h)[B^], touch FTs, then DH moves up in an arc towards the signer and away. For a QuickTime movie of this sign, see ASL browser - more than.
#ALL-ON-LIST - NDH [5], PO > DS, FO away, DH [A], PO > signer, descends while opening to an [L].
HALO-ON-HEAD'saints' - (2h)[bC] are held above head like a halo.
PROGRESS - Like NEXT with hands leapfrogging over one another but upwards.
DON'T-MEAN-TO-SAY - [1], PO > NDS, FO up, - brought to mouth with pl.
UNSURE - (2h)[S], POs down, FOs away, alt. rise and fall.
ALCOHOLISM - ALCOHOL SICK.
Text:
Rarely have we seen a person fail who has thoroughly followed our path. Those who do not recover are people who cannot or will not completely give themselves to this simple program, usually men and women who are constitutionally incapable of being honest with themselves. There are such unfortunates. They are not at fault; they seem to have been born that way. They are naturally incapable of grasping and developing a manner of living which demands rigorous honesty. Their chances are less than average.
There are those, too, who suffer from grave emotional and mental disorders, but many of them do recover if they have the capacity to be honest.
Our stories disclose in a general way what we used to be like, what happened, and what we are like now. If you have decided you want what we have and are willing to go to any length to get it -- then you are ready to take certain steps.
At some of these we balked. We thought we could find an easier, softer way. But we could not. With all the earnestness at our command, we beg of you to be fearless and thorough from the very start. Some of us have tried to hold on to our old ideas and the result was nil until we let go absolutely.
Remember that we deal with alcohol, cunning, baffling, powerful! Without help it is too much for us. But there is One who has all power that One is God. May you find Him now!
Half measures availed us nothing. We stood at the turning point. we asked His protection and care with complete abandon.
Here are the steps we took, which are suggested as a program of recovery:
1. We admitted we were powerless over alcohol, that our lives had become unmanageable.
2. Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood Him.
4. Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of ourselves.
5. Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked Him to remove our shortcomings.
8. Made a list of all persons we had harmed, and became willing to make amends to them all.
9. Made direct amends to such people wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them or others.
10. Continued to take personal inventory and when we were wrong promptly admitted it.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with God as we understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will for us and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs.
Many of us exclaimed, "What an order! I can't go through with it." Do not be discouraged. No one among us has been able to maintain anything like perfect adherence to these principles. We are not saints. The point is, that we are willing to grow along spiritual lines. The principles we have set down are guides to progress. We claim spiritual progress rather than spiritual perfection.
Our description of the alcoholic, the chapter to the agnostic, and our personal adventure before and after make clear three pertinent ideas:
(a) That we were alcoholic and could not manage our own lives.
(b) That probably no human power could have relieved our alcoholism.
(c) That God could and would if He were sought.
